


Birthdays are Best in Pairs

by t0talcha0s



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Birthdays, Can you believe Killua was turning 13 when they were on Whale Island, Canon Compliant, Gen, a buncha birthday boys, self indulgent, whale island
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:00:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24247678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/t0talcha0s/pseuds/t0talcha0s
Summary: When Gon and Killua visit Whale Island after the Hunter Exam Gon finally gets to celebrate the birthday he missed. Birthdays are the best! So when Killua’s birthday rolls around Gon ensures he gets to celebrate too, even if he gets embarrassed at the attention it brings
Relationships: Gon Freecs & Killua Zoldyck, Gon Freecs/Killua Zoldyck
Comments: 5
Kudos: 83





	Birthdays are Best in Pairs

**Author's Note:**

  * For [neverwherever](https://archiveofourown.org/users/neverwherever/gifts).



> It is 1:38 on this fine Sunday night and I whipped this up on my phone bc my roommate and I had a convo about birthdays and Whale Island and I couldn’t get it out of my head.  
> This one is also for you Jules, I love how much I get to bug you about these boys and I hope you enjoy this self-indulgence.

Killua had been on Whale Island for a little over a week. He and Gon had settled into a satisfying routine: get up, bicker, explore more of the Island, eat until their stomachs hurt, talk and talk until they finally fell asleep, kick each other off the bed at night and begin all over again. It was mundane, it was domestic, it was the most normal Killua had ever felt. The days had melded together into a long beautiful blur and it was him and it was Gon and they got to be together. 

It was one of those days, the limited days where everything got to be calm and everything got to be perfect, and Gon and Killua were returning from a hike for dinner. They were splatted with mud from a wrestling match, chuckling together at the mess they made as they stood on the doorstep of Gon’s home and stripped down to their undershirts. Aunt Mito had joked about leaving extra clothes outside but Gon was generally careful with his jacket and Killua had packed enough that he could change three times a day and still have enough outfits to make it through the week. Gon’s eyebrow lifted and he sniffed the air inquisitively, his eyes brightening. 

“Killua!” He said, turning in elation towards where Killua was picking pebbles out of his boots. “You like cake right?” 

“I like ice cream more, why?” Gon was bouncing on his toes as he moved to open the door. 

“It smells like Aunt Mito made my favorite tonight!” 

“Cool.” And the two of them stepped inside. Gon’s great grandmother sat at the table with a smile that broadened ever so slightly as the boys walked in. On the table was a mouthwatering meal, even more impressive then Aunt Mito’s previous efforts, with sandwiches and rice and bowls of marinaded vegetables and meatballs and a big white cake topped with mounds of fruit and a few sparklers. There was a paper banner tacked to the wall that said in neat bubbly handwriting _Happy 13th Birthday Gon!_

“Eh?” Killua exclaimed “it’s your birthday?” Aunt Mito, from the kitchen, called out to them

“Welcome home boys! You’re early! You didn’t track anything in tonight did you?” 

“No Aunt Mito!” Gon bounded into the room, eyes glancing excitedly around the bounty on the table. His mouth splitting wider as he eyes the cake, his hand twitching as he just barely resists the urge to dig into the icing. “What’s all this for? It’s not my birthday!” 

Aunt Mito strolled into the room, a great plate of fish almost overflowing in her arms. “I know but you weren’t here to celebrate it then so we’re celebrating now. Go wash off your faces boys and then we can eat.” 

In the bathroom Gon scrubbed the mud off his face as fast as he could, leaving behind a gentle bloom of red, bubbles falling down his forearm into the sink. Killua watched him cautiously, the situation in the dining room deeply unfamiliar to him. Instead of questioning the cake and the banner and the jovial tone that snuck into every action of the Freecss family he asked,

“Gon, when was your birthday?” 

“Oh it was in May, I was so focused on the exam and Heaven’s Arena that I didn’t get to celebrate with you and Leorio and Kurapika. This is great though! You get to be here!” He looked over at Killua with a great big smile and that exfoliated blush that made his face glow. 

“Jeez what’s the big deal, it’s just a birthday, and not even.” 

“Killua! Birthdays are one of the best days of the year! Aunt Mito always makes a big meal and she and great-grandma sing and I eat so much cake and she lets us save the dishwashing for the day after and we stay up late with music and games! Though Great-grandma always cheats at cards even on my birthday.” He laughs, stuck in the joyful median between memory and anticipation. “And now you get to be here, this is gonna be the best birthday!” Gon wipes the last fleck of mud off his nose. “Birthdays must be _so fun_ at your house with all those people.” 

“We don’t really celebrate birthdays. My mom always got weepy and would never leave me alone but that’s nothing new. Usually we had business and what’s the big deal about being older anyway?” Gon looked astonished in that way he always did when Killua hinted about his family and shrugged it off to grab Killua’s shoulder and push him downstairs to show him what birthdays could be. 

The Freecss offer gratitude for the meal, a ritual Killua had learned to be very quiet during as he eyed up the portions of food he most wanted when they finally got to eat. Then the meal started and it was as loud and raucous as usual but towards the end Aunt Mito stopped the racket and held her hand palm up to Gon. He put his hands in hers and his smile became something smaller and something sweeter and as she looked at him Killua felt like he was intruding upon something very intimate. 

“Happy birthday Gon,” she says to him “you’re the most incredible son I could have asked for and you’re growing up so fast. I couldn’t be prouder of everything you’ve done and I know you’re going to do even more amazing things in the coming years, even though you’ve already got half a year of homework to make up.” And Gon laughs and Aunt Mito laughs and her eyes are shiny in the corners and Killua has to look down at his plate, pushing a half eaten meatball around the center. They smile at each other for a moment then Aunt Mito releases his hands and pulls a box out from under the table. “Present first and then cake.” 

Gon smiles wide, flicking his eyes over to Killua and bringing him back to the joy of the moment. He then slips off the top of the box and pulls out a new canvas backpack with an extra pocket, patterned straps, and none of the rips and scuffs of his old one. 

“Thank you,” he looks up and repeats himself to Aunt Mito, and then great-grandma “thank you!” 

“I’m glad you like it” great-grandma said, stacking the dirty dishes on top of each other to make room for fresh ones. Aunt Mito strikes a match and lights the sparklers on top of Gon’s cake and they sing a familiar tune to him that Killua knows he’d never heard in the frigid altitude of Kukuroo Mountain. The cake is moist and sweet and stuffed with berries and jam that drip down their forks and tingle the backs of their teeth. Then the table is cleared and Aunt Mito puts on music and they play cards and Gon wins the first hand and then loses and loses as his great-grandma and Killua face off for hours with skill and tricks and the four of them laugh and at the end of the night Aunt Mito hugs Gon tight tight tight and Killua slips off to their bedroom to give them their moment. 

When Gon joins Killua in their bedroom, flopping himself bonelessly on his bed with a laugh that sounds like the impact forced it out of him, he turns all that joyful attention to Killua asking. 

“Killua when _is_ your birthday?” 

“It’s,” he pauses, trying to remember what time of year it was, time lost momentarily in the endless summer that was the combination of Whale Island and Gon. “It’s this month.” 

“What!?”

“Yeah, the seventh.” 

“Killua were you not going to tell me! That’s so soon!” He shrugs, adjusting his pillow. There’s a look in Gon’s eyes as he turns off the light and settles into bed that Killua can’t recognize and he’s too tired to bother asking what he’s thinking. 

The next day Killua awakes to a room without Gon in it. As he dresses for the day he can hear the indistinct conversation of Gon and his aunt but they quiet down as he enters the room. 

“Good morning Killua!” Gon says with a grin more mischievous then usual and he follows it up quickly with “wanna go see the weekend market? We haven’t been into town since you got here.” 

“Sure, can we stop by the store too, I’m almost out of candy.” So they head out into town, Gon springing one long leg in front of the other as he jogs to the market, he and Killua bumping shoulders and knees as they race. They weave through the stalls of the market where Gon talks Killua into trying some berries endemic to Whale Island that just so happen to be in season and Killua buys a necklace with a little metal shell on it and Gon talks to every vendor, all of whom seem to know him very well and smile at the chance to talk to him about how the exam went and where he’s been. Then they stop by the store and Killua buys far too much chocolate and they’re both burdened with armfuls of bags as they hike up the hill to Gon’s house. 

When they open the door they’re greeted by the same festive table spread and the same banner that now reads _Happy 13th Birthday Killua!_ and a big cake with chocolate icing and sparklers on top. Killua turns to Gon who is beaming at him and he looks at the Freecss family at the table and back at Gon and his cheeks flare up into a rosy blush and he turns his head and tries to will it away. 

“Happy birthday Killua!” Gon says, forcing Killua to take another moment to gather his frazzled composure. 

“This is embarrassing” he mutters and Gon rolls his eyes and goes 

“Yeah but it’s your birthday” and puts his hand on Killua’s shoulder and pushes him, gently, into the house. 

The night begins the same as the last with the Freecss offering gratitude and the whole table gorging themselves on the delicious food while Gon and Killua bicker and tease but as the meal slows to a stop Gon looks over at Killua with those bright amber eyes and he offers his palms face up on the table and Killua, remembering the night prior, thinks he will die if he puts his hands in Gon’s and lets him talk.

“Gon,” he says, wanting to play into these traditions but scraping his nails against his hand in apprehension nonetheless. 

“Come on Killua it’s your birthday, I won’t take long.” Calmed by the trust only Gon can grant him Killua gently lowers his palms into Gon’s. Out of the corner of his eye Killua can see Aunt Mito serving up tea for herself and her grandmother but Gon’s eyes are on his and they’re demanding all of his attention and then he even opens his mouth and Killua’s gut spins itself into ribbons with nerves. 

“Killua,” he says excitedly, as if he’ll never get tired of the syllables on his tongue “you are my best friend! It’s the best having you here and it’s going to be so fun when we go to Yorknew! I’m glad I have you.” And he says it like he can’t believe it and he says it like he was so lonely before Killua came around and he says it like he could say more but is stopping due to the way Killua’s blush spreads higher and higher up his cheeks and he feels the twinge of tears that always come to him when Gon gets, as he does, just too intense to handle. As soon as Gon closes his mouth Killua jerks back his hands and turns his face away and Gon continues. 

“I’m sorry we didn’t have a present ready for you, Killua. But I’ll get you one soon! Maybe a new game or a cool belt or we can order some of those bunny lollipops you like so much!”

“It’s fine, really Gon.” Gon removes his hands from the table and beams like he believes him and Gon sings so loud to him that song that the three of them know and Aunt Mito cuts the cake into slices, an extra thick one for Killua, and they don’t stay up as late as they did for Gon but they play cards and Killua thinks Gon’s great-grandma was letting him win and Killua spills into bed with his heart up high in his throat and a strange new feeling in his stomach. 

“Did you have fun!” Gon asks as he bounces a little on his bed.

“It was embarrassing, you guys make such a big deal out of nothing.”

“But did you have fun Killua!?” He looks over at Gon and his big amber eyes and how honestly he’s asking that question and Killua can’t help but say 

“Yeah Gon I had fun” and he can’t help but mean it.

**Author's Note:**

> Leave me some comments or hmu on tumblr @Barefootcosplayer where I am rarely active. Bless y’all


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